v1 Why does Paul seem to always go to the synagogue of the Jews with every new town that he enters?
v2 He “reasoned” with them for 3 weeks in Thessalonica.
v4 some of the Jews were persuaded but a great multitude of devout Greeks and “not a few” of the leading women joined Paul and Silas. Fruit came amongst the gentiles. Paul was sent to preach to the gentiles. Why then does he always seems to enter the synagogues?
v5 Those not persuaded attacked the house of Jason (is this where Paul stayed?). They were filled with a spirit of envy. They gathered evil men from a marketplace. Herod, once again.
v6 These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.
So we see that a trait of the Herodian spirit is envy. The concern is that the world order has been disturbed. They dont want the same thing to happen here. It is comfortable here. It is peaceful. Why change the world?
v7 The accusation: “they are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king – Jesus.”
When Herod’s kingdom was threatened by Jesus at birth, he killed every boy under 2 years of age. The same spirit attempts to kill off Jesus and anyone worshipping Him as King of all.
We find that the religious spirit works in tandem with the herodian spirit. Twice when Paul was preaching, he came under heavy attack. The first occurred in Thessalonica. As soon as he and Silas escaped from there, they went to Berea. There, they were well received and experienced a great harvest. But, when the Jews in Thessalonica found out what was happening in Berea, they came to Berea to stir up the crowds there (Acts 17:13).
The result was that Paul was immediately sent away by the brethren. Paul ends up in Athens where he waits for Silas and Timothy. “Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols.” Idolatry is everywhere. Paul goes from one confrontation to another. We should ask ourselves why isn’t our spirit provoked at the site of it all.
v17 Paul’s response was to REASON with them IN THE SYNAGOGUE and in the MARKETPLACE. Go to them at their place in the world, whether it be religious or work, it matters not.
v22-23 Paul sums up religion:
Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even foun dan altar with this inscription:
THE UNKNOWN GOD.
The Greeks had so many Gods that they didnt want to leave any out. So, they even worshipped one they didnt know. That’s the world today. It worships everything in the world – even those it doesnt know, as gods.
So, Paul takes advantage of the situation and tells them that the One whom they worship without knowing is the true God and proclaims Him to them.
v26 God determines our preappointed times and the “boundaries of our dwellings”. He determines when and where we live.
v27 The reason: so that we may seek the Lord and find him.
v32 When they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.”